Archive for the ‘Handmade Jewellery’ Category

Saturday morning and school half term is here again! So getting ready for the trip to the seaside with the kids, seriously did we have this many breaks during the school year? I just seem to get a head of steam up and another one pops along. Now please don’t think I don’t want to spend some quality time with my over loud, over tired, under active, destroy all things minded little cherubs! And then there’s the dog which I’m not going to even list his points, Anyhow I wanted to write this blog up before I left as it will be June by the time I get back. This design came along by accident if truth be told I was actually making something else when I just started messing around with some beads and it sort of came together but I’m not complaining as it turned out rather good if I do say so myself. I must admit I do like making cluster bracelets as my mind tends to wonder (Mainly about being on a beach with a book and a bottle of wine) as I go onto auto pilot, I love the color coordination and the different components you can use. So to break this bracelet down to the base I used a new chain for this bracelet, Not my normal belcher 4 oval chain, It’s a really thick cable chain, As I knew I would be using lots of beads. When using freshwater pearls you are limited to colors and sizes and the availability of them so because I was looking for something a little different I used Swarovski crystal pearls which are fab, Little cheaper then normal pearls but I love the different colors you can buy compared to freshwater. So the two pearl sizes I chose were 3mm and 5mm and the colors are Rosaline – a lovely pinky color and cream very warm colors with a stunning sparkle to them but that’s Swarovski for you! I then added the trusty crystal quartz rondelles which make any design that little bit more elegant. I still needed a good contrasting color and bead then whilst digging through my box of goodies I found some AAA graded Garnet onion briolettes that I’d been keeping for a rainy day and they worked a treat. As I neared the half way point I decided to personalize it as you don’t seem to see many cluster bracelets with that personal touch and makes it even more unique. So I slipped on a charm holder and added one of my mock hearts I use for making designs. On this heart you can have 26 characters and that includes spaces but as always if you want more text we can make you a custom heart no problem. As happy as I was looking at the bracelet I just felt it could do with something extra and then I saw these little sterling silver open butterfly charms and that was that, It filled the cap that I could see so now it was just down to the back of the bracelet. Again I needed something to offset from the rest of the bracelet so I used the Swarovski BeCharmed crystal heart it really is stunning and to me give it that contrast I was looking for. The heart looked a bit lonely on it’s own so I have had this wonderfully detailed rose charm that I had wanted to use since I bought it but hadn’t really made anything to date which it could be used for until now, Considering the color combinations I had used it just fit in like a glove. So with all said and done it was finished before I really knew that it was, Maybe I should go on auto pilot more often. Oh just one last detail which was the heart toggle which I use on other designs it’s one of those dependable components not to mention it looks good. Well that’s it for this month I guess but while I’m away I can finish my next cluster bracelet off! Yes I’ve already started the next one and this one is using freshwater pearls because I’m just using white so I will be back on in a couple of weeks with that one. Till the next time don’t be like the rest be an IndiviJewel!

Well it’s getting hot now and so are my designs lol, Well this is the bracelet I have been banging on about for a while now. If you like a little sparkle, And a little bling then you will love my latest design – Personalised Swarovski BraceletI love it! shame I cannot wear it as it might look a bit strange on a bloke, Maybe just around the workshop in private perhaps. I think I’ve caught the bling bug, I just love working with bright bits and making something unique and with the bright sunny weather coming through it certainly looks good. It took me a while to design this bracelet as trying to source out all the pieces took some time but got there in the end I think but knowing me I will probably change it at some point. So lets take this design to the bare bones and build it back up, I starting with my usual number 4 sterling silver belcher chain which I use on all my heavy bracelets, It’s been a reliable friend over the years. Next I used about 200 9mm jump rings and soldered two together to make about 100 twisty jump rings, Yes it took an age to do but I love using them as it gives my bracelets a unique look and an extra little sparkle. So next I added the stunning 14mm swarovski BeCharmed pave beads in equal gaps between the twisties, I chose these particular colors as they are bright and look great together but I have given you the choice well a very big choice of colors so if your more of a dark color lover then we have a few for you. Right in the middle of the bracelet I have added a few charms – A star, Angel wing, Heart and a cute high heel and in the middle of those we have a pink Swarovski heart charm to give a lovely collection of charms. Now I have added one of our personalised secret message hearts but only the small one as the others are a little big but I have giving the option of not having the heart if your not looking for something personalised either way it’s a unique piece of jewellery. So overall this is one of my favourite designs it just pops, It’s light, Bright, Funky and cool well maybe that’s just my opinion. So I had been dying to get this design over the line now it’s done I can move on to the next one which I have nearly finished just need some photographs, Actually thinking about it I have a few things waiting for photo’s but if there’s one thing that I don’t look forward to is this, Just as well I’m the boss otherwise I might find myself out of a job lol. So till the next time don’t be like the rest be an IndiviJewel!

So we are back from our little break to the coast which had plenty of Easter showers as is the case sitting here now back at home writing this blog. Hope your all enjoying your two weeks off apart from the weather and are not as bad as me at nibbling the kids chocolate eggs, I do have a sweet tooth or two! Well as the weather is not to good you can’t really take the kids and a furry dog anywhere so it’s more of there you go, Playstation or Hudl well here’s both keep yourself entertained while Daddy does a little work, Well that’s my plan. With summer coming up we all want to wear something with a bit of color in it and girls just love bright colors so here is our new personalized bar friendship bracelet This bracelet is made with silky nylon mix just like our other girls range it’s lovely and bright and gives off a wonderful sparkle when the sunny weather is out. You have many colors to choose from as you can see in the image, You can have a wacky combination or stick to your favourite color the choice is yours or maybe Mum and Dad’s. So we have mocked these bracelets up with names but you can have what text you like just as long as it fits! As you can see we have offered you the choice of an image after your personalization but you don’t have to have it but looks rather cute. So we sized and cut the silver ourselves as we do, We feel it’s the right size but just let us know if you want a change. It’s 24mm long by 6mm wide and we have cut elegant incisions if incisions can look elegant but it makes the overall bracelet look fab anyway. To finish off the look we have added sterling silver balls to give it a more quality look and just enhances the look of the bracelet. Girls will love this bracelet even if they are buying it for a BF so with all said and done another piece of IndiviJewel jewellery to add to our ever growing collection of goodies for you. I hope to be back on the journal later this week as I have my summer special to write about so enjoy the last few days of Easter and till the next time don’t be like the rest be an IndiviJewel!

Well it’s been awhile, Mother’s Day got a little busy and well I had no time for any other jobs to get done! Maybe I need to invest in a little Elf help or something or other. It’s so nice to be hearing the birds chirp, The flower’s growing and the dark days lifting, I can almost smell summer coming. So now it’s time to get a few brighter bits of jewellery made for those sunny days that lay ahead. So as you might have guessed I love working with pearls, I have lots of designs but the downside of this is the unpredictability of sourcing out good and I mean good graded freshwater pearls to keep your designs alive. So I have decided to use Swarovski crystal/glass pearls in some new designs such as this one – Swarovski coin pearl and sterling silver earrings, When it comes to earrings trying to match a pair of natural pearls can be tricky unless your paying for top top dollar ones, Well it is if your me as I like perfection as much as possible in my work but not always realistic to do so and many people don’t mind but I do! So having found some Swarovski pearls I was amazed how good the quality is how realistic also. I’ve had this particular design in my mind for a while so once I had decided to use the Swarovski pearls I got to work on the twisted rings which are forty four 5mm jump rings soldered into twenty two twisted rings and then put 11 on each earring to give a unique look, Don’t ask why I came out with 11 guess that’s just me all over. I love the head pin I have used, Very detailed and different and really stands out at the bottom of the pearl. I wasn’t sure how such a big headpin would look but it just adds to the overall elegance of the earring. So once I had slipped the coin and the rings onto the pin I just needed the right ear post, A little while ago I purchased a few different designed ear posts from a company in Spain and had been waiting for the right design to come along to use them, Lucky for me only one popped out at me that I thought would work and I wasn’t disappointed in fact it looked even better than I had imagined as I never had an ear post for the initial design. So the end result is a very IndiviJewel looking earring which I love so much I’ve decided to add different colours in the form of Pink and Rose Gold and have just mocked up the matching necklace with bigger coins and twisted rings but that will be for another blog. So the Easter holidays are here! So me and the little troopers are going away to the coast for a week so should be fun on the beach looking for eggs, Should keep them busy for a while anyway. Hope you all have a good holiday and don’t eat to much of the kids chocolate eggs. Till the next time don’t be like the rest be an IndiviJewel.

Valentine’s Day tomorrow for all you love birds new and old, Is it just me or has it lost a bit of meaning in these modern times? I think it has, But I’m the old fashioned type I guess! Well It’s been a busy week this one and missed my chance to go to the NEC for the Jewellery show although it does appear to get less and less busy as the years go on but still worth a trip to see whats ” In trend “, Think more peeps change to the London one later in the year for obvious reasons. So what have I got for you this blog? Yes that’s right WIRE WRAPPING! lol So this is my last wire wrapping from last year that I’m writing about so don’t worry I won’t bore you to death! Now it’s a product we already sell I have just jazzed it up a bit so it won’t be a very long blog! The Entwined range is very popular so it’s just an upgrade so to speak. I have entwined 2mm graded freshwater pearls to the beads and it has giving the design another dimension! For those who like a little daintiness this range will work a treat. Now I have made it in sterling silver and 14K Gold fill and at some point this year will add the Rose gold version, I hope, If I don’t forget which is highly probable! Right that’s about it for this blog but cannot wait till the next one as it’s my favourite piece I have designed so far in my short career so if you like BLING or pretty colours then checkout my next one.

Well that was a quick month!! Well as it’s the last day of the month I thought I would write about my last new product from last year, Yes another wire wrapped piece! Sorry lol, I have become very fond of making this type of jewellery probably because I’m not to shabby at making it if I do say so myself, It’s only taken an age. So like my last couple of wire wrapped charm bracelets I thought I would complete the set and make a 14K Gold fill and entwined pearl “Bird’s Nest ” ball charm and eventually turn into a charm bracelet like others at some point but wanted to be a little different with this one and make a necklace with it but I have added a twist by adding a gemstone. Now when I started to wire wrap the Gold wire I did notice a big difference from the sterling silver and Rose gold wire, It’s like trying to wrap a steel bar lol, It’s a lot tougher and the top of my fingers are similar to a tea bag – lots of perforated holes, If you manage to stab yourself in the finger whilst weaving the wire your going to know about it – It sharp and it hurts and I’ve done it quite often! So with the Nest made with the pearls entwined on it I rummaged through my box of goodies, Now I could do with a maid with regards to this particular corner of the workshop, It’s no joke I look at it and have such good intentions in my head to sort it all out and put everything in its own compartment but I just think its a mental block lol. OK so I find my stash of gemstones and putting different colors against the nest and then I come across these sparkly beauties, Pink Mystic Quartz that I’ve had for a while and had actually forgotten about, That’s what happens when your stash is just piled on top and top and lost to depths of the eerie sweetie tin I keep them in. Now Gold and pink just pop when put together so I just new that this was the one for me, So once attached to the bottom of nest job done! I love this unique design, I already have a few alternatives in my head but I’ll leave that for another day. So if you like your jewellery unique & sparkling then you can’t go wrong with this necklace. So that’s your lot for Jan and now we move on to the love month, Checkout the website by the way, Lots of Valentine’s goodies to choose from and we have a discount code so don’t be like the rest be an IndiviJewel.

The Year’s in full flow now and with Valentine’s Day just around the corner, A think it’s to close to Xmas personally, People are just getting over the festive season then suddenly before you know it another big occasion comes along. I think a summer date would be more appealing to folks and it would feel more romantic with the hot weather and the lighter nights and all but that’s just my two pence worth on it, Maybe we should start a petition to change it! lol. So with the chilly weather in full force we had our first day of snow in nearly two years and it lasted for ONE day, Yes that’s right one day. I love snow apart from when it melts and turns to slush it’s like walking through a lake of Mr Frosty! But at least the kids finally got to do some sledging with the sledge I bought 3 years ago! Anyway enough of my waffle I have this personalized sterling silver secret heart and pearl bracelet to chat about. This bracelet has been on my radar for quite a while and I managed to make it and photograph it just before Xmas and with Valentine’s Day nearly here this would make a wonderful unique bracelet to give to your love. So to make this bracelet we started with AA graded white/cream pearls with beautiful sterling silver donut spacers in between them, The pearls measure approx 7mm and have a wonderful luster. This personalized sterling silver heart is from our necklace range we make and which fits in with sizes of the pearls, This means that your message will not be as long compared to the bigger hearts we have but they were just to big and looked ridiculous, Nothing worse when you try and force a design when you haven’t got correct sizes of components it just looks a mess. Everybody is different some folk will like big chunky bracelets and others will like this smaller, Elegant, Unique standout pieces like this one but if you like the design bigger then just contact us and we will try our best to help you So if you don’t know by now how we make the heart firstly we cut out a length of sterling silver from a sheet of silver, Engrave your text then shape the silver into a heart and solder the two ends together there you have it, Well there’s a lot of work before then but you get the gist. The final piece of the jigsaw was the toggle and I sourced out this beautiful heart and arrow toggle which just compliments the bracelet and just completes this treasured keepsake. So most women like pearls, Even I like pearls but tend to get a few weird looks lol but this bracelet would be ideal for Valentine’s Day but it’s a good all rounder, Obviously weddings spring to mind but other occasions pop in my head as well, Mother’s Day, Birthdays in fact it’s for any day really. Oh and did I mention we have a co-ordinating necklace for you as well so there we have it another blog done and dusted so best get back to the grind, I need to keep warm!

Happy New Year to you all! I have to admit I started writing this blog on New Years Eve, Yes I know how sad I’m I! but I just wanted to get one more blog in before the bells ding donged but unfortunately it was wine o’clock time and alas the draw of celebrating took hold and before you know it January the 7th is upon us. Well I hope you all had a wonderful Xmas and didn’t over indulged yourselves to much lol. I also hope all our customers enjoyed the presents they may have received or even if you treated yourselves to our handmade jewellery thank you all. So here we are back to the grind, I still have a few pieces to catch up on and thought I would continue where I left off last year with our new entwined bird’s nest range. So I have gone all sterling silver with this entwined pearl bird’s nest bracelet which like the Rose Gold one was a joy to design and make. To start with I hand wrapped about 66 inches of sterling silver wire and then entwined 2-2.5mm freshwater pearls as I neared the end, So I had my focal point now I just needed the rest of the bracelet! It took me a while to put the finished article together as this design was just an image in my head and wasn’t really sure what other components I needed until I was just going through my ideas box of goodies and then I came across these beautiful wire wrapped curved bars. So I had the spine of the bracelet now just needed some sort of beads to fit in and as the bird’s nest has entwined pearls I went to my trusted graded white/cream pearls and low and behold I had a stunning unique bracelet to show off. Now first thoughts are “Wedding Jewellery” but it actually looks good with any fashion and pretty sure you guys will feel the same. So with the January blues hanging over us it’s back to the design board to brighten up my days, So that’s it for this blog I will see you soon as I have another wire wrapped blog to chat about yes that’s right gone a bit mad with the wire wrapping! So wishing you all the best for the year ahead and don’t be like the rest be an IndiviJewel!

A wonderful present from IndiviJewels, So Six days to go for what we have all been working so hard for and what another mad year. This last week has just flown by as we try and finish all our orders, I feel like Santa’s little elf in my workshop till, 2,3 even 5 in the morning but its all worth it. All things considered its gone pretty smooth, Not to many problems compared to other frantic years and I’m more organized with my own Xmas preparations this year which makes me even more full of the Xmas joy, Nothing worse than rushing around, Been there and it’s just horrible. Now trying to keep up with your social media while very busy is not going to really happen no matter how hard you try, As the saying goes “Not enough hours in the day” Now if Santa could wrap up a little helper for me for the New Year that would be a most welcome present! So before it all went mad I had managed to take some photographs of our new bits which I referred to in my last blog, Now this particular bracelet was an absolute joy to design and make. I love the design so much I have decided to make it with sterling silver and gold fill, Now finding all the components might be a little tricky but hay-ho when I have my mind set on something I’m like a dog with a bone. So this jumbo bird’s nest is wrapped with approx 70 inches of 14k Rose Gold, So that’ s a lot of wire to wrap, Nothing worse than getting near the end and you realize its not the sphere shape you hoped for, Yes that’s right it’s happened a few times! It gets a lot more tricky when you entwine the pearls as well but I think it’s worth it when it’s finished, Totally unique to IndiviJewels and to be honest I don’t think many people would have the patience to try it lol. So I already had the silver and rose gold rondelles from another design, When you put the two metals together they really do pop, Much better in the flesh than photo’s could ever show, I love how the Rose Gold are just the slightly bigger than the Sterling silver donuts, If you go to big I think you lose the look and elegance you are looking for so for me just perfect. When the Bird’s Nest is added to the charm carrier it just all comes together and overall it makes a truly unique piece of jewellery that I’m over the moon about. Again I have gone with the magnetic clasp, I really love using it for this kind of design so it’s easier for you guys to just throw it over your wrist and let it do it’s job.I must admit I actually loved wearing it but that was only in the work shop, Didn’t want to get strange looks as walking down the street as lets be honest it’s not very manly. I have managed to get my hands on the sterling silver and Gold fill versions of the clasp so now I just need the bigger rondelles in those metals and Hay-Ho there’s no stopping me. So that’s me for another blog, Saturday night is here and to be honest I need some sleep or I will have to hold my eyelids up with matchsticks. Kids finished school yesterday so they are all pumped up looking forward to the big day. I hope to get back on with another blog before the end of the year as I have some catching up to do but it is Xmas so we will see what happens, If not then I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

So here we are 21 days to go to the big day, I absolutely love Xmas and everything that goes with it, Tradition, Carol singing, Turkey, Puddings, Playing with the kids toys and then falling asleep. The only thing ever missing here in good old blighty is the snow, Well it looks like I’m only going to get this blog started as it’s our local Xmas shopping night here and I’ve been chomping at the bit to get on with a blog for about 2 weeks! Literally haven’t had two minutes all week until now and it is literally two minutes I’m going to get, We have been so busy making new pieces and finally got round to photographing them all with a week of very late nights only for Black Friday to come round and then that was it – Eat – Sleep – Work – Repeat, Don’t get me wrong I want you guys to buy as much of our stuff as you like other wise I don’t have a job! I think we have managed to get five new products on in the last week so I have plenty to write about just no time to write it. Just had a look at the last blog more time has elapsed then I had thought, Better watch I don’t sleep through Christmas Day! OK so back in from the madness that is a late night Xmas shopping night, Only took a couple of hours! So let’s start with what I’m here for, Our new personalised sterling silver secret message droplet necklace We are always trying to expand our secret message range and we came up with a more simple design but nonetheless a cute little charm necklace. We have come to realize that sometimes simple is the best, Not everyone wants something extravagant so this necklace does the job. The dimensions for this droplet are 2.5cm and that’s from the top of the loop to the bottom and is 1cm wide, You get 30 characters and that includes spaces so it’s not the longest piece we have but that was the thought behind the design but as always if you wish to have it bigger then just contact us and we have also given you a few lines of text in the product description to give you a helping hand to start you off if you cannot think of anything. The hardest part of making this droplet was trying to solder the loop on, It can get a little frustrating lets say when it moves by the smallest of movements when everything is lined up and then you think maybe it’s time for an eye test in the new year! So I hope Black Friday wasn’t to stressful for you all, I have to admit I just dodge it all together I can never make up my mind what I want so best to have nothing I say then all the stress and save my pennies, Can’t go wrong really! Joking aside thanks for those of you who bombarded us with orders on Black Friday we really appreciate your custom, We can make things all day long but it takes you guys to make our business work so thanks. Well that’s that for today well tonight now I hope to be back with another new product shortly so don’t be like the rest be an IndiviJewel.